Geelong manufacturers have called for greater focus on the conditions needed for local industry to compete, invest and create jobs in the lead up to Victoria’s election campaign.
As part of today’s Geelong Manufacturing Council “Meet the Candidates” forum, bringing together manufacturers and Victorian candidates, industry speakers highlighted the cumulative impact of government regulation, energy decisions, taxes and infrastructure costs on manufacturers competing in global markets.
Affordability and security of energy emerged as a key concern, alongside calls to reduce the burden of excessive and duplicative compliance, and improve the availability of competitively priced industrial land.
“We unofficially called our expert panel: ‘Survival: How government policies pose the biggest threat to manufacturing’s future in Australia’,” said GMC CEO Jennifer Conley.
“This may seem sensational. But there is no question that decisions by government – whether it is about natural gas supply or apprenticeship competency frameworks or roads and infrastructure – these decisions impact business and they impact manufacturing more so because our companies face the “cold hard winds” of international competition.
” We’ve just come out of a nail-biting footy season, both here and interstate. Imagine if you had a team of incredibly fit and strong players but they must play on one leg, or with their hands tied, while your competition can do what they like.
“That is the global manufacturing landscape. And that is how it looks from a Victorian manufacturer’s viewpoint.
Director of longstanding local manufacturer, IXL Group, Rob Backwell said that close Ministerial oversight is required to prevent the proliferation of compliance.
“Victoria’s regulatory enforcement authorities have never seen a regulation they didn’t want to impose.”
Jenn Conley said Australian companies have found ways to survive overseas but at the expense of local communities.
“Locally, our communities suffer because the jobs become low value. They do not contribute to the enduring high standards of living that we have come to enjoy over the past 40 to 50 years,” she said.
Candidates, including Christine Couzens MP, ALP candidate for Geelong, Ella George MP, ALP candidate for Lara, Andy Pobjoy, Liberal candidate for Geelong, and John De Lorenzo, One Nation candidate for Geelong, participated in a Q&A session.
Workforce challenges were prominent, including declining apprenticeship participation, the cost of employing and retaining apprentices, stronger pathways into trades and manufacturing careers, and the critical role of migration to meet shortages locally.
Local leaders also raised the issue of how government purchasing decisions could better recognise the broad economic value of locally manufactured products, rather than focusing narrowly on purchase price.